A Customs and Border Protection agent who shot a Chicago woman multiple times after their cars collided bragged about it in text messages to fellow officers, according to testimony this week.
Marimar Martinez, who is charged with assaulting a federal officer, was treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds after the confrontation last month.
In a Signal chat, agent Charles Exum shared with other agents a news story that quoted Christopher Parente, Martinez’s lawyer, as saying she “has seven holes in her body from five shots from this agent, who fired within seconds of getting out of this vehicle.”
“I fired 5 rounds, and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” Exum wrote in his Signal message, which was shared during a court hearing this week.
“Read it. 5 shots, 7 holes,” Exum wrote.
In a text to his brother about the shooting, the agent wrote, “Sweet. My 15 minutes of fame. Lmao.”
In another text a day after the shooting, Exum wrote, “Cool. I’m for another round of f— around and find out. Lmao.”
Questioned on the witness stand by Parente about the tone of his messages, Exum citied his background as a firearms instructor.
“I take pride in my shooting skills,” he said.
Martinez and her co-defendant, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, have pleaded not guilty to identical charges and are challenging evidence in the case.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Exum was acting in self-defense when he shot Martinez, a U.S. citizen, on the morning of Oct. 4. An agency statement posted shortly afterward said Border Patrol agents on the scene were “rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars.”
Parente has said body cam footage shows the agent initiated the contact between his vehicle and Martinez’s.
An updated DHS statement referred to Martinez and Santos as “domestic terrorists.” They have not been charged with terrorism.
The agency’s statement further described Martinez as having been armed during the altercation. A prosecutor informed the judge that she had a concealed carry permit for a pistol that was in her purse but that she did not brandish it. Martinez is not facing firearms charges.
Sen. Chris Murphy decried the DHS narrative as “propaganda” on social media, saying the agency’s version of events doesn’t align with the evidence.
Parente questioned Exum about why he had repairs done on his government vehicle instead of preserving it as evidence, as was done with Martinez’s car. A federal prosecutor acknowledged to U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis that a Border Patrol mechanic removed scuff marks and made other repairs to Exum’s Chevy Tahoe.
A trial for Martinez and Santos is set for February.
Immigration enforcement tactics across the country, particularly in Chicago, are being disputed in the courts. The government announced its plan for the city in early September, titling it Operation Midway Blitz.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis demanded the administration limit its use of aggressive tactics with people protesting the immigration crackdown.
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